Cement shoe



March 8, 1932. F. 1.. ODENBREIT CEMENT SHOE Filed Dec. 17, 1930 F B m 8 R Y 8 9 I m 5: 1 W 6 @g E U M 2 Va 5 w U 5 2. s 2 8 I E w A... F v 3 l 6 B 0 4 8% mu 5 3 V n //fl/ l m. l A MP m H 3 Patented Mar. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK L. ODENBREIT, OF LONG BEACH,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CONTROL EQUIP- NEVADA CEMENT SHOE Application filed December 17, 1930. Serial No. 503,016.

This invention is a cement shoe for well casing and the like; the present invention being an improvement upon "the cement shoe disclosed in my copending application Ser.

5 No. 490,712, filed October 23, 1930.

In my aforementioned copending application I have disclosed a cement shoe suspended from well casing and/ adapted to float the casing into a well and discharge a circulating medium outwardly through the bottom of the shoe, with said shoe having a seating surface in spaced relation above said discharge means adapted to engage the formation seat of the well bore, and providing for subsequent discharge of the circulating medium outwardly through the shoe both below and above the point at which it engages the formation seat; and the present invention functions in the same general manner but insures discharge of the circulating medium longitudinally from the lower end of the shoe so that the full force of the circulating medium is directed against any obstruction which may be encountered when floating the string of casing into a well.

The present invention also provides for directing the circulating medium outwardly through'the shoe above the point at which it engages the formation seat, only after all of said circulating medium has been discharged longitudinally outwardly through the lower end of the shoe for insuring any obstruction being washed away; and the invention also provides extremely simple means for redirecting gitudinally discharged from the lower end of the shoe, so that after the shoe engages the formation seat the circulating .medium is readily discharged outwardly through the shoe above the point of said seating engagement. I

It is a still further object of the invention to circumferentially equalize the distribution of the circulating medium as it discharges from the shoe above the point at which it engages the formation seat, and after initial the circulating medium which is lon-- discharge of the circulating medium from the lower end of the shoe to redirect the same for discharge above the point of seating engagement of the shoe, so that when the circulating medium comprises a cementing mixture adapted to cement the casing in the well, the said cement will positively hold the shoe against turning in the well and will thus permit the shoe being readily drilled out when drilling is resumed.

Further object of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an axial section through a well bore showing the cement shoe suspended from a casing strmg.

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of Fig. 1.

The cement shoe is adapted or suspension from a usual string of well casing 1, preferably by a usual threaded connection 2, and the casing string with its suspended shoe is adapted to be run into a well bore 3 having a usual formation seat 4 and a depending rat-hole 5,

The casing shoe preferably comprises an annulus 6 having a collar 7 at its upper end providing the threaded connection 2 for the casing string, with nipple 9 depending from the lower end of annulus 6, preferably by a threaded connection 10, and forming an exterior'tapering seat '8 adapted to engage the formation seat 4 and merging into a depending annulus 9a of reduced diameter which is adapted for reception in rat-hole 5,

and which preferably terminates in a bullnose 11 for guiding the casing string into the well bore. t

An axial port 12 opens through the bullnose 11, and discharge ports 13 are in the annulus 6 above the tapering seat 8; and the shoe is provided with guide means adapted to direct a washing medium or fluid cement which is forced downwardly through provided the the casing strin so that the fluid initially flows downward y Without discharge at ports 13 and is discharged longitudinally through axial bore 12, and when the rat-hole has been filled with cement and the seat 8 engages the formation seat 4, the cement which has been discharged throu h bore'12 is redirected upwardly into the s 0e so that it flows past the seating engagement 48 and is then discharged through the ports 13 1nto the surrounding well bore above the formation seat.

As an instance of this arrangement a filler 15, preferably of cementitious material, may be cast in the cement shoe so as to fill and extend upwardly from the nose 11 to a point spaced above the discharge ports 13, with the filler extending radially to the wall of an-' nulus 6 and depending nipple 9, so that a restricted axial bore 16 which'. opens through the filler is shut-off from communication with ports 13 but directly alines with and is open to port 12. The depending annulus 9a has circumferentially spaced longitudinal grooves 17 in its outer urface, merging at their lower ends into the ull-nose l1 andterminating at their upper ends below tapering surface 8 so as to form undercut recesses 18; and longitudinal bores 19, which are radially spaced from bore 16, open through the filler 15 from the recesses 18 to an annular groove 20 which is formed in the outer periphery of the filler 15 in alinement with ports 13. It will thus be seen that only after longitudinal discharge of a circulating medium through -port 12 and into the well bore, can said circulating medium return through grooves 17 and bores 19 for discharge at ports 13.

WA valve is preferably provided in the cement shoe for controlling communication of bore 16 with the bore of casing string 1, and

is adapted to close during lowering of the b casin string so as to float the string into the well ore in usual manner, and is-adapted to open responsive to the pressure of fluid forced ownwardly throu h the casing string so as to longitudinally discharge all of said fluid via bore'16 through the port 12.

As an instance of the float valve construction a supporting annulus may be mounted in an annular recess 16a which is formed in upper end of bore 16, and the supporting annulus preferably comprises acylindrical sleeve 22 internally flanged at its upper end so as to form a valve seat 23 in alinement with bore 16,with an annular extension 24 preferably threaded into the lower end of sleeve 22 and forming an axial guide 25 for a valve stem, with the guide 25 surrounded by longitudinal discharge passageways 26 communicating with the lower portion of bore 16. A valve 27 has a stem 28 .slidable in guide 25 so that the valve 27 is adapted to engage seat 23, and a spring 29 preferably surrounds the valve stem and abuts at its respective ends against the underside of the After the string of well casin and its depending shoehave been cemente in the well bore, the shoe may be drilled out so that drilling of the well may be resumed, and .for this purpose the float valve structure and the en-- tire nipple 9 are preferably of material such as aluminum which may be readily cut away; and the cement, which surrounds the depending annulus 9a of the nipple, by filling the grooves 17 will positively hold the nipple against turning, so that the cementitious filler 15, together with the float valve. and depending nipple, may be readily drilled out in usual manner;

In operation the cement shoe is suspended from casing 1, and with valve 27 closed by its spring 29 the string of casing is lowered into a well bore. The well pressure against the valve then retains 'it in closed positionso that the string may" be floated into the bore, and a usual washingmedium maybe circulated downwardly through the casing string and outwardly into the well bore, with the pressure of the circulating medium shifting the float valve to its open position so that the washing 'medium' may freely flow through bore 16 and thence longitudinally outwardly through the port'12 of bull-nose 11 so that the full pressure of the circulating medium is directed against any obstruction in the well ore.

When the well is to becemented, a usual fluid cement is similarly forced downwardly through the casing string so as-to open the float valveand thence flow downwardly through bore 16 for discharge through port 12 into the surrounding well bore, and when the rat-hole surrounding the depending nipple of the cement shoe has thus been cemented formation seat 4, so that further flow of upwardly at the exterior of annulus 9a and 1 through longitudinal grooves 17 and bores 19 into the circumferentialgroove 20 for uniform distribution and discharge through ports 13 into the surrounding well bore above a the formation seat.

The invention thus provides an extremely practlcal cement shoe for a casing string, adapted to anchor on the formation seat of a well bore with a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole, and the shoe bein arranged so as to insure direct longitudina seat 8 of the cement shoe is rested on Y discharge of a circulating medium outwardly through the lower end of the shoe for washing away any obstruction, with the shoe then adapted to seat on the formation seat of the well bore, and redirectin the discharged circulating medium upwar ly at the exterior of the depending nipple of the shoe and thence upwardly through the shoe for discharge into the surrounding well bore above the formation seat; and-the invention also provides for operatively supporting a float valve in the cementing shoe, with the valve structure and the depending nip le of the shoe adapted to be readily drille -out after the, casing is cemented in the well.

I claim:

1. In combination, a shoe for a casing .string having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface, means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, and means for redirecting said discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

2. In combination, a shoe for a casing string having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface, means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, and means separate from said bore of the shoe for redirecting said discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

3. In combination, a shoe for a casingstring having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface, means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, and a passageway closed to I said bore of the shoe and opening to the exterior of the nipple and adapted to redirect the dischar edfluid upwardly through the shoe for disc arge at the upper discharge port.

4. In combination, a shoe for a casing string having a discharge port at the lower end and a discharge port spaced above said lower discharge port, means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper dlscharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, and means separate from said bore of the shoe for redirecting said discharged fluid upwardly throughthe shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

5. In combination, a shoe for a casing string havlng a discharge port at the lower end and a discharge port spaced above said lower discharge port, means for closing the bore" of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and dischargingfluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, a fioat valve for the bore of the shoe, and means separate from said bore of the shoe for redirecting said discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

6. In combination, a shoe for a casing string having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface, means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, a float valve for the bore of the shoe, and means for redirecting said discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

7. In combination, a shoe for a casing string having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface. means for closing the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, the outer surface of the nipple having a longitudinal groove terminating at its upper ends in an undercut recess at the lower end of the seating surface, and a passageway in the shoe closed to the bore of the shoeand opening to the exterior of the nipple at said recess and adapted to redirect the discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

8. In combination, a shoe for a casing string having an exterior seating surface adapted to engage the formation seat of a well bore and having a depending nipple adapted to extend into the rat-hole below the formation seat, a discharge port in the nipple below said seating surface, a discharge port in the shoe above said seating surface, means for closing [the bore of the shoe against communication with the upper discharge port and discharging fluid from said bore through the lower discharge port, a float valve for the bore of the shoe, the outer surface of the nipple having a longitudinal groove terminatlng at its up or ends in an undercut recess at the lower en of the seating surface, and a passageway in the shoe closed to the bore of shoe and opening to the exterior of the nipple at said recess and adapted to redirect the discharged fluid upwardly through the shoe for discharge at the upper discharge port.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

. FRANK L. ODENBREIT. 

